The house-sitter is the person in charge of looking after a house when the owner is absent for an extended period of time. House-sitting work includes most of the tasks normally performed by the landlord: cleaning, keeping the house and valuables safe, tending the lawn and, in some cases, taking care of pets. The advantage of being a house-sitter is to use the house without having to pay the rent. This means that the house-sitter has the opportunity to go around the world, and his only obligation is to pay the bills. Follow these guidelines to become a house sitter.
Steps
Step 1. Get references
You don't need experience to start doing this job, but you will need the names of three or four people to vouch for you and declare that you are a trustworthy and responsible person.
Step 2. Deposit an amount in the bank to offer as collateral
Calculate the equivalent of a month's rent that you would pay for the type of house you are interested in keeping and deposit in the bank an equivalent amount to offer as a guarantee to the owner. Not all landlords require such a guarantee, but many do, and even if they don't ask for it, by still offering to make this deposit, you will gain the trust of the owners and have more choices at your disposal.
Step 3. Create flyers to advertise your house-sitting services
You will need to use flyers to find work.
- Use a strong title. It needs to be original, grab attention (without being out of place), and highlight the strengths of your offer. A good example for the flyer title would be, "Clean and Pet Lover Seeks Opportunities to Make New Four-legged Friends and New Experiences on the Santa Barbara Coast."
- Explain why you would like to be a house-sitter, and what are the qualities that make you a good candidate for this job.
- Describe in detail your past work experiences that qualify you to guard the home of a perfect stranger. Even if you have never taken care of a home, it is likely that you have already found yourself in circumstances that require skills similar to those of a house-sitter. For example, if you babysat neighbors' children when you were a teenager, took the dogs for a walk or took care of your sick grandmother when she was alone in the house. These are experiences you should list on your flyer.
- List any extra benefits you might offer your employer, such as a security deposit and / or a flawless criminal record.
Step 4. Advertise
There are a thousand ways to promote your house-sitting business.
- Buy an ad in a local newspaper in the area where you would like to be a house-sitter.
- Advertise on free classifieds websites like Craigslist.
- Pay to place a listing on sites like housecarers.com. There are several websites specifically dedicated to connecting homeowners with house sitters. Search online to find these companies, then pay a small fee to get listed on their house-sitters list, and let them do the advertising for you.
Step 5. Purchase a list of house sitters you are looking for
The same companies that manage house-sitters directories sell directories of homeowners who are looking for the services of a house-sitter.
Step 6. Keep in touch with homeowners who express interest in your service, and who might be right for you
Interview every opportunity that comes your way, and then pick one you like.
Advice
- Create your own web page if you want to look as professional as possible. Include a link to your site in all your ads.
- Decide in which location you want to house-sit, and also what you are and are not willing to do (i.e. take care of pets, take care of the pool, clean the house, etc.) before you start looking for a job as a house -sitter. You will need this information as you create ads and decide where to post them.
Warnings
- Be careful not to waste your entire budget on ineffective websites. When looking for house-sitting directories on the internet, pay attention to the quality of the website itself, as well as its position in the search engines.
- Avoid giving away your home to be a house-sitter, if you are not absolutely sure that you will be going to do this job for a long period of time, and remember that between one job and another you would be practically homeless.
